Is religion bouncing back during these Olympics?

The Catholic Herald

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While the fallout from the strange scenes of the Olympics' opening ceremony continues to play out – the BBC’s <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0021jbd">latest Moral Maze</a> focused on the question of whether anything is sacred any longer – the call from the French Bishops Conference to move on from "the outrageousness and provocation" and to <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/mounting-catholic-pushback-against-olympic-games-opening-ceremony/?swcfpc=1">revel in the magnificence and "delight"</a> offered by sport seems to be occurring. At the same time, though, it's notable that a religious streak has unexpectedly marked these Olympics, one that's very much at odds with the highly anti-Christian moments of that opening ceremony, and at odds with the French principle of "laïcité" state secularism that is meant to keep religion out of the public picture. A Guardian article over the weekend  <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/article/2024/aug/03/the-way-the-truth-and-the-olympic-record-how-god-struck-gold-in-paris">described</a> it as “How God struck gold in Paris”. The article focuses on how “athletes no longer feel the need to stay silent about the role of religion in their approach to sport”. Among the examples given is the British swimmer Adam Peaty, who, having lost his Olympic title by 0.02 seconds, was still smiling when he was interviewed by the BBC’s Sharron Davies. “I’m a very religious man," Peaty told Davies about his race (he has a cross tattooed across his sternum). "I asked God just to show my heart, and this is my heart. I couldn’t have done more.” British diver Andrea Spendolini-Sirieix, 19, after taking bronze with Lois Toulson in the 3-metre springboard synchro, <a href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/sport/other-sports/fred-sirieix-bbc-olympic-games-33366558">said</a>: "I give glory to God and I have grown so much as a person not just alongside her but as an athlete. I'm so happy." US gymnast supremo Simone Biles, in addition to becoming the most decorated gymnast in history, is known for carrying a Rosary in the sport bag she has with her by the mat when competing. Mid way through the Olympics' skateboarding competition, the 16-year-old Brazilian skateboarder Rayssa Leal used sign language to reference a Bible verse to the cameras, before going on to win bronze. And in what the Guardian says could be the <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/sport/article/2024/jul/30/paris-olympics-2024-surfer-gabriel-medina-floating-photo-jerome-brouillet-how-it-was-taken">defining image</a> of the Games, there is Brazilian surfer Gabriel Medina – who was previously in the news for needing to cover up an image of Jesus on his surfing board due to Olympic rules – captured in a photograph by Agence France-Presse photographer Jérôme Brouillet after he has just “exited” a barreling wave and launched himself into the air. The resulting photograph makes it look like Medina is levitating, standing upright above the crest of the waves while pointing to the sky, with his surfboard a couple of metres away doing the same thing. There is a strong Jesus-walking-on-water vibe, with Medina himself looking authentically Messianic, certainly a lot more than the lady in the Last Supper parody did. RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/finally-vatican-condemns-the-most-disgraceful-olympics-opening-ceremony-of-all-time/?swcfpc=1">Alelluiah! Vatican finally condemns most disgraceful Olympics opening ceremony in history</a> Afterwards, Medina explained that he struck the pose to reference Philippians 4:13: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” In analysing what’s going on, the Guardian notes: “Given the punishing self-sacrifices they endure, and the odds stacked against them in their quest for glory, it’s not hard to imagine why some sportspeople look outside themselves for a greater power.” At the same time, it highlights the obvious role and dynamic of social media that has allowed sportspeople "to be bolder in expressing their faith, and fans are becoming more comfortable with that, too". It means that, unlike until recently, when “queasy broadcasters would have been quick to shut down too much God talk”, now “it’s all part of their 'journey'". The Guardian also notes research by Christians in Sport, “an organisation that provides pastoral support to elite athletes”, that shows a significant rise during the past two decades in the "integration of faith and sport". One of the “key drivers” behind this, apparently, is society’s "shift towards protecting and respecting religious identities of all kinds", which is due, somewhat ironically, given what happened during the opening ceremony, to that watchword of modern times, inclusivity, alongside "sport wanting to position itself as a champion of inclusivity”. At which point the Catholic Herald has to beg to differ. The claim that there's been a "shift to protecting and respecting religious identities of all kinds” might hold when you have young and attractive sport stars quoting an uplifting verse from the Bible; then, yes, society seems fairly accepting. But if you have a Christian praying outside an abortion clinic, things change quickly. Also, might what we are witnessing also be getting driven by the attempted corporatisation of religion with the ad men as ever getting stuck in, sensing a new way to reach and engage an audience, and those quoting and referencing their religious beliefs also at risk of getting sucked into it too, or at least of having their genuine faith appropriated by other forces, as they try to articulate the "journey" that they are on. For now, though, and especially after that opening ceremony, perhaps it is enough to know that, in addition to the usual sporting magnificence, this Olympics and even France itself is showing that it’s not so clear cut when it comes to the apparent triumph of secularism. There still appears to be some competition left. RELATED: <a href="https://catholicherald.co.uk/number-of-ordinations-in-france-rises-as-country-continues-to-buck-secular-trends/">Ordinations increase in France as country continues to buck secular trends</a> Photo: Britain's Adam Peaty prepares to compete in the final of the men's 100m breaststroke swimming event during the Paris 2024 Olympic Games at the Paris La Defense Arena in Nanterre, France, 28 July 2024.(Photo by MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP via Getty Images.)

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